Interesting Happenings

Here are some things that have been happening in the news that I have found interesting, and that I have been meaning to and should comment on at greater length:

Menzies Campbell (pronounced Ming, apparently) has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, beating Simon Hughes and Chris Huhne in a ballot cast by party members. The leadership race was notable more for its scandals than anything, with Mark Oaten and the revelation that he had hired male prostitutes particularly shocking and galling. Mr Campbell's win, while popular and not too unexpected leaves the question of what to call his collective group of supporters. The one that comes immediately to mind - that of 'mingers' - is ruled out for obvious reasons.

Also, an interesting new reality TV series is premiereing in America. Now, I am not a fan of reality TV in general, particularly of it's Survivor/Bachelor/Fear Factor nature (though more tolerant of American Idol and it ilk, those standing in the long tradition of talentime contests), but this one has really caught my interest. It is called white.black, and involves a white and black family respectively being transformed by hollywood make-up artists into having the appearance of the opposite race. They would then live together and have to try and adapt themselves into their new role. I thought that this was a very interesting way in which to examine the whole notion of race.

Also, the controversial historian David Irving has been sentenced to a 3 year jail term for "holocaust denial' which is a crime in Austria and Germany. This comes despite him admitting that he held opinions in publications dating from the late 1980s that effectively constituted denying the Holocaust BUT that he had since changed his opinion, particularly after reading the Eichmann papers. This comes in the wake of a well publicized libel trial when noted historian Richard J Evans was a chief witness which went a long way towards undermining much of Irving's historical research, if it could be called such. However, one must question whether a person can be punished in such a manner for holding "opinions", especially if he has since come to change his mind. Leaving aside the question of whether the change of heart is genuine, I have grave reservations on the matter. Comments on this welcome.

The Academy Awards have been announced with Crash winning a surprise Best Picture Award. Much has been made of the shock of it all, but to be honest this was probably one of the most open fields in history, with no big budget movie (Titanic, Lord of the Rings) guarenteed to dominate. One major talking point has been the merits of Brokeback Mountain, on which opinion has generally been rather divided. Many people felt that it was only so acclaimed because of its groundbreaking nature, and if the story had been a normal love story, it would have been a rather ordinary film. On this count, I disagree. On a side note, I am very pleased that Rachel Weisz won the oscar for The Constant Gardener, in what I thought was a great performance in a very good movie.

In America, the debate over abortion continues as South Dakota passed a law which banned abortions in all cases except for those in which the mother's life was threatened. This is almost certain to be challenged, particularly with another state law allowing for legislation to be challenged as long as a petition signed by enough state voters is collected. The renewed challenge on abortion comes with the appointment of John Roberts and Samuel Alito Jr to the Supreme Court which is seen to have swung the court to the right. Alito's appointment in the place of Sandra Day O'Connor, who was a firm supporter of abortion, is seen to be key.